It has long been known to produce beverages of various formulations. Improved and new formulations are desirable to achieve desired nutritional characteristics, flavor, shelf life, and other objectives. For example, it would be desirable to increase the rate at which a rehydration/sports beverage is absorbed by the body after it has been consumed by a person.
Rehydration beverages may be used in conjunction with physical activity, such as exercise, to replenish fluids and electrolytes lost during the activity as well as to provide additional energy. To this end, rehydration beverages typically comprise at least water, carbohydrates and electrolytes and have a measured osmolality of 250-350 mOsm/kg. The carbohydrates generally included in such beverages are high fructose corn syrup and sucrose.
Osmolality is the number of osmoles of solute per kilogram of solvent, where one osmole is provided by each mole of ion charge. Theoretically, if the osmolality of a beverage is below the osmolality of a subject's plasma, which is typically between about 280 mOsm/kg and about 300 mOsm/kg, the beverage may be absorbed by a subject's gastrointestinal system faster than if the osmolality is above that of the plasma. Consequently, one drawback to the use of a blend of high fructose corn syrup and sucrose in a rehydration/sports beverage is that the initial osmolality of the beverage is about 330 mOsm/kg, which is well above the usual plasma osmolality. In addition, these carbohydrates undergo hydrolysis in solution over time, which increases the osmolality of the beverage and concomitantly decreases the rate of absorption of the beverage.
It is an object of the invention to provide a carbohydrate blend that undergoes minimal hydrolysis in solution over time, thereby substantially maintaining its initial measured osmolality during storage. It is a further object of the invention to provide rehydration/sports beverages, containing such carbohydrate blends, which have a low osmolality and are rapidly absorbed by a subject following consumption. These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention or of certain embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following disclosure and description of exemplary embodiments.